Canada should review regulations on
all “unconventional” oil exploration, including oil sands and
offshore projects, before allowing new work to proceed, New
Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton said.

The review would be broader than the current one being
conducted by the federal regulator, Layton told reporters in
Ottawa today. Safety questions about drilling in remote regions
using newer technologies must be answered after the spill at a
BP Plc well in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The BP spill has got to be a wake-up call,” said Layton,
the leader of the smallest of four parties in Parliament. He
also reiterated his opposition to any new oil sands projects.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has touted Canada as a secure
supplier of energy to the U.S., citing the development by
companies such as Syncrude Canada Ltd. of the oil sands in
Alberta. Canada, home of the world’s second-largest oil
reserves, is also working with the U.S. and Russia to settle
claims to the arctic that could allow exploration for energy in
that region.